


Officially Girlfriends

by krscnl



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Forced Bonding, Friends to Lovers, Vacation, assistant!moonbyul, boss!solar, but i guess thats not super important??, i guess??? not rly forced but...they have to spend time together under kinda weird circumstances???, idk what else to tag, wheesa r bffs as per usual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 05:31:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7671979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krscnl/pseuds/krscnl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're such an idiot." Yongsun can hear the amusement in Byulyi's voice. "I wanna fake break up with you. Like, right now, at this instant."<br/>"Oh, please." She's giggling. "You fake love me too much for that, Byul."</p><p>or: wheein and hyejin make a bet and now yongsun needs someone to pretend to be her girlfriend for a week</p>
            </blockquote>





	Officially Girlfriends

**Author's Note:**

> whats that? im supposed to be writing that bts fic that i posted over a week ago? psh whaaaaaa
> 
> moonsun are just too gay ok i couldn't help myself
> 
> also this was supposed to be a short oneshot but then........i got carried away. again.
> 
> enjoy!!!

_Day One_

Yongsun knows it’s something bad.

It’s not that she knows what’s _in_ the text. Not yet, anyway. There’s a notification on the locked screen of her phone, the name _Ahn Hyejin_ with a little devil emoji next to it, and it’s not even the fact that Hyejin hasn’t talked to her in a little over a year that makes Yongsun sure that something is wrong.

Intuition, she thinks. She’d spilled her coffee all over her desk mere seconds before the buzz of her phone, and she’s sure that it was the universe sending her a message. Her instincts are telling her that things are gonna go wrong. There’s something dark swirling around in the pit of her stomach and she just _knows_ that if she looks at the text that she’s going to regret it.

But she can’t just ignore it, can she? She knows Hyejin—has known her for years, since high school, since university, and yes, okay, maybe they’ve drifted apart because of work, with Yongsun taking over her father’s law firm in Seoul and Hyejin being a wedding planner in her hometown of Jeonju, but she _knows_ her.

And Hyejin is persistent.

Her phone buzzes again, as if on cue. And then again. And again. And again, the number beside the name _Ahn Hyejin_ increasing from two to three to ten in steady intervals. Her coffee is still soaking into her papers, liquid dripping off the edge of her desk to pool onto the dark hardwood of the floor.

Yongsun has a really bad feeling about this. She’s always been the type to trust her instincts, always the one to follow her heart and not her head, and right now her heart is telling her that something is definitely up and it’s best that she doesn’t pick up the phone. Doesn’t check the texts. Waits it out, because Hyejin is persistent but she’s only persistent until she runs out of things to say because she hates repeating herself more than twice, so Yongsun doesn’t move.

There’s a knock on her door then, three quick, sharp taps. Her assistant, a paralegal named Byulyi that’s been with her for half a month now, lets herself in. Her head is down, gaze set on a manila folder that’s open in her hands, light-brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail and bangs falling into her eyes. She’s speaking fast, urgently, as if she’ll forget what she’s going to say if she doesn’t say it right away.

“Sorry to bother you, I know it’s your break and all, but there’s some new information coming in for that copyright case with RBW? Forensics came in with more evidence and I really think we’ll be able to win—um.” She stops, staring at the damp papers and the puddle of coffee and the buzzing phone. “Are you...okay?”

“Huh?” Yongsun belatedly realizes that she’s zoned out, mind too busy mulling over the uneasy feeling in her veins and the increasing number of texts from an old friend. “Yes, sorry, I’m. I’m good. I’m…”

“Are those the reports from the Park’s trademark case?”

“Oh, um, yes.” The information takes a second to sink into Yongsun’s brain. Coffee, spill. Desk, papers. Papers, reports, wet. Everything is wet. “Oh shit. _Shit,_ the reports! Oh my god—”

She’s scrambling to get everything in order now, succeeding in knocking her mug of lukewarm coffee off of the desk this time. It doesn’t shatter dramatically; it thumps dully against the wood with a lame _clunk_ , rolling to the side until the handle of it catches onto the floor.

“Oh my god, oh my god, my boss is going to kill me—”

“You’re your own boss, Yongsun-ssi,” Byulyi points out. Yongsun doesn’t notice the twitch in the paralegal’s lips, the ghost of a smile gracing her face in amusement.

“Right. Yes. That’s right. I’m going to kill me.” She notices the smile now—less of a smile and more of a mocking grin, she thinks. “Don’t laugh at me, newbie. You’ve only been here for two weeks; you’re not allowed to make fun of me yet.”

“I’m not laughing,” Byulyi responds, but her grin widens the second the words leave her mouth. “Here, let me help.” She drops the papers in her hand onto the chair across from Yongsun’s desk and rushes to help clean things up.

“There are paper towels in the break room,” Yongsun says, lifting up the soggy stack of reports and sighing. Byulyi nods and rushes out of the office to get them.

Her phone buzzes again, screen lighting up. _Ahn Hyejin_ _(22)_.

No point in prolonging it anymore, she thinks. She tosses the ruined reports into the garbage can in the corner of the room before picking up her phone.

 

**Ahn Hyejin**

yongsun-unnie!!!!!!!!

**Ahn Hyejin**

listen. u, me, wheein. bff reunion

**Ahn Hyejin**

wheeinie says last week of july, japan (so next week!!!)

**Ahn Hyejin**

tbh when she suggested a vacation for the three of us i thought shed say jeju or smthn but then she said japan so whatever lmao ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Ahn Hyejin**

so: tokyo ofc for a few days, amusement parks n all that stuff

**Ahn Hyejin**

then we’re going to an island to go to the beach

**Ahn Hyejin**

tbh i dont really know whats going on wheein says she’ll plan everything

**Ahn Hyejin**

but there’s something else i wanna talk to u about

**Ahn Hyejin**

and u can’t tell wheein

**Ahn Hyejin**

we kinda maybe made this bet...

 

And that’s when the uneasy feeling in Yongsun’s stomach does multiple backflips up into her chest and squeezes at her throat.

Byulyi wanders back into the office then, roll of paper towels in hand. She starts to mop up the mess on the desk, throwing her boss a curious look.

 

**Ahn Hyejin**

wheein thinks ur gonna stay single for another three years bc ur so caught up with ur law firm and all

**Ahn Hyejin**

howEVER i have bet against that and said that u prob have a gf or bf or whatever by now

**Ahn Hyejin**

and we argued about it for a while and decided that whoever loses becomes the winner’s slave for two whole weeks

**Ahn Hyejin**

and she got this really scary look in her eyes when she made up the punishment and now i seriously do not want to lose so u have to help me unnie i cannOT become wheein’s slave

**Ahn Hyejin**

she looks all cute on the outside but i swear she’s satan reincarnated

**Ahn Hyejin**

also....................i may or may not have already told her that u have a gf so that i could win n now wheeins wants her to come on the trip n isn't taking no for an answer lol

**Ahn Hyejin**

and she also may or may not have already called ur dad and asked if u could have a week off lmao so ur coming for sure hahahahahaha

 

Yongsun’s eyes widen dramatically and Byulyi lets a few strips of paper towel float to the ground. She steps on them, swiping her foot around to soak up the puddle of coffee on the floor.

 

**Ahn Hyejin**

so!!! basically what im saying is: pls get a gf like rn so i don’t become wheein’s slave lmao

**Ahn Hyejin**

u really have to bc if wheein finds out that i lied i’m actually dead

**Ahn Hyejin**

she’ll seriously murder me she has like fifty hello kitty themed knives back in her apartment

**Ahn Hyejin**

ok i was exaggerating its more like three but like???? help a sister out

**Ahn Hyejin**

so yeah pls go get a gf u have like a week lolololol love u miss u kisses xoxoxox

 

“Oh my god.” Yongsun rereads the texts a few times to make sure she’s not seeing things.

_i may or may not have already told her that u have a gf_

Ahn Hyejin, why on Earth...

“You look kind of pale, Yongsun-ssi,” Byulyi tells her. Yongsun’s eyes flick up to where Byulyi is. She’s bent at the waist, picking up the mug and placing it back on her desk. “Everything okay?” She sounds genuinely concerned. How sweet. “Is it an emergency? You can go if you have to; I’ll reprint the Park reports and organize all of the details for the copyright case for when you come back—”

“No, it’s...it’s not an emergency,” Yongsun says. She looks back down at her phone and types: what’s in it for me? i can screenshot all of this and show wheein, you know.

 

**Ahn Hyejin**

oh mygOD pls DONT

**Ahn Hyejin**

i’ll give u free unlimited wedding cake samples for a month

 

She licks her lips absentmindedly at the thought. Tempting, but—

“Ow, shit,” Byulyi mutters. She’s on the ground, pieces of soaked paper towel in hand, and seems to have hit her head off of the edge of Yongsun’s desk on her way up.

The lawyer laughs and Byulyi flushes, embarrassed, as she throws the paper towels in the trashcan.

“You okay?”

“Um, yes. I’m fine.” Byulyi straightens up, brushes dust off of her black slacks. She clears her throat. “If you’re busy, I can come back later. If you want.”

Yongsun pauses. Studies her for a second, arms crossed, eyes calculating.

A month of free unlimited wedding cake samples. A _month_ of free unlimited wedding cake samples, in exchange for one measly week of dating someone while on vacation.

“Moon Byulyi,” Yongsun says slowly, the name unfamiliar on her tongue. She’ll get used to it, she’s sure. “Right?”

“Uh.” Said woman shifts awkwardly under the other’s strong gaze. “Yes?” She has her arms behind her back, chin up, as if she were waiting for orders from a drill sergeant.

“How old are you?” Yongsun asks.

“Sorry?”

Yongsun raises her eyebrows. Like Hyejin, she hates to repeat herself. She knows Byulyi heard her, so she waits.

“I’m turning twenty-seven in December,” she responds finally, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “May I ask why…?”

“Do you have a, um, a significant other?”

“No…”

A year younger, single. Yongsun nods thoughtfully, chewing on her bottom lip. Byulyi’s eyes flick down to her mouth for a fraction of a second, the motion unnoticeable if you weren’t already staring. Yongsun is though and she tilts her head, a soft smile creeping onto her face.

“Do you think I’m pretty?”

The blush that covers Byulyi’s face is bright. “I—wh—you—what—um.” She swallows, eyes shifting nervously. She probably thinks this is some kind of test, Yongsun guesses. Some kind of weird prank for the newbie in the company. “Yes?” she replies, uneasiness dripping from her tone.

“You sound kind of unsure about that.”

Byulyi clears her throat again. More confidently, she responds, “Yes, you’re pretty Yongsun-ssi.”

They stare at each other for a bit until Yongsun bursts out into laughter, high-pitched and squeaky, and Byulyi can’t help but giggle awkwardly along, utterly lost.

“Okay, you’re a little stiff, but we can work on that.”

“Work on…?” Byulyi trails off, confused.

“Being my fake girlfriend,” Yongsun deadpans simply, smile never fading. When Byulyi’s mouth pops open, she holds up a hand to silence her. “Don’t worry, Byulyi-ssi. It’s only for a week, and I’ll give you paid leave during it.”

Byulyi looks, if anything, even more confused. “What?”

“Listen.” Yongsun walks around her to take a seat on top of her desk and swings one leg over the other. One of her high heels flies off during the action, making what she hoped to be graceful and elegant look like a comedy skit and Byulyi snorts despite her best efforts to remain straight-faced. Yongsun blushes furiously and lets out an embarrassed giggle as Byulyi picks up her shoe for her.

“You’re so clumsy,” the younger says, a hand over her mouth to cover her laugh.

“Oh, shut up.” Yongsun can’t wipe the sheepish smile off her face as she holds her foot out for Byulyi to slip on her shoe. “I feel like Cinderella.”

“So I’m your Prince Charming, then?” Byulyi jokes weakly, still unsure of how she’s supposed to act in this kind of situation.

“A fake Prince Charming,” Yongsun says. She looks down at Byulyi who’s still kneeling down by her feet. “One week, a vacation with some old friends, you’re my fake girlfriend. It won't be that hard. Well, probably. I mean, you seem kind of awkward and stiff and we should work on your confidence a bit, but I’m sure that with some practice we can—”

Byulyi stands up then, palms flat against the desk on either side of Yongsun’s body. Something about Yongsun, who’s only known her for a mere two weeks, telling her that she’s _awkward_ and _stiff_ and that she has to _work on her confidence_ flared up her pride and now she’s leaning towards her boss, their faces level, inches apart. Yongsun can see the different shades of brown in Byulyi’s eyes now, can smell the faintest traces of citrus coming off of her, and suddenly her hands feel very, very sweaty.

“We—we can, um.” Yongsun breaks into more laughter to ease the abrupt tension and brings up a hand to poke at Byulyi’s forehead, pushing her face away. “Okay, maybe you’re less awkward than I thought.”

Some kind of unspoken boundary seems to have been broken and Byulyi grins, satisfied with herself. “Sorry, was that too much? I’ve never had the chance to see your pretty face up close before, so I took it.”

_Oh my god, she’s cheesy as hell._

Yongsun scoffs, hitting Byulyi in the shoulder with a little more force than necessary. The younger woman takes a step back. This was unexpected.

“Where’s all this grease coming from? Maybe I should ask someone else,” she says jokingly.

Byulyi shrugs nonchalantly. “If you want to.”

Yongsun looks at her curiously for a second. Then she slides off of her desk, heels clacking against the hardwood floor of her office. “Nah, I don’t want to.”

“You want me?”

The lawyer laughs again, shaking her head. “Why are you making it sound so weird?”

“You’re the one asking me to be her fake girlfriend, Yongsun-ssi,” Byulyi points out matter-of-factly.

“Touché.” Yongsun crosses her arms again. It makes her feel in charge somehow, even though she shouldn’t have to use body language to show that she’s in control. She _is_ Byulyi’s boss, after all. “So you’ll do it?”

Byulyi hums, looking around the office for a moment, eyes making contact with everything except for the woman in front of her.

“What’s in it for me?” she asks. She adds a quick, “Yongsun-ssi” at the end, trying to hold up their formalities even after their faces had been in kissing-distance a minute ago.

“One week paid vacation in Japan with yours truly,” Yongsun responds. “I’ll pay for everything that has to do with the trip; your flight, the hotel costs, your food when we go out to eat, even any souvenirs you want to buy.”

Byulyi nods. Her gaze is on the ground now, staring at Yongsun’s shoes. “And what does...what does fake dating entail, exactly?”

“Well…” Yongsun thinks for a second. “Lots of, um, hand-holding? Hugging, I guess. And, uh—”

“Kissing?”

The bluntness makes Yongsun flush prettily. “Don’t sound too excited,” she teases, despite the sudden skip of her heartbeat.

Byulyi blushes too and laughs airily, waving a dismissive hand. “So lots of physical affection, then.”

“You’ve been in a relationship, right?” Yongsun asks. “Just act how you did in your real ones; it shouldn't be hard.”

“It’s all acting.”

“All acting,” she confirms. “I mean, I can’t just ask you to be my real girlfriend all of a sudden, right? Plus, I _am_ your boss. Workplace romances rarely end up well and I’m not looking for a real relationship anyway.”

“Oh. Yes. Right,” Byulyi agrees with a nod. “So when we come back…”

“Back to being professional with each other,” Yongsun says. “This whole thing is strictly professional.”

“Right,” Byulyi repeats. “Strictly professional.”

 

-

 

 

**Kim Yongsun**

u better have that strawberry chocolate cheesecake

**Kim Yongsun**

the one with the caramel drizzle on top

**Ahn Hyejin**

:-O

**Ahn Hyejin**

OF COURSE!!! ANYTHING FOR U, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL PERSON EVER TO HAVE GRACED ME WITH THEIR MAGICAL EXISTENCE

**Ahn Hyejin**

ANYTHING FOR THE STRONG, CONFIDENT WOMAN WHO HAS GRANTED ME, A PEASANT, HER ONE AND ONLY WISH

**Kim Yongsun**

you can stop now

**Ahn Hyejin**

ily

**Ahn Hyejin**

who’d u even get to be ur gf already? hit the club right after work or smthn?

**Kim Yongsun**

no, i got my assistant to do it

**Ahn Hyejin**

ur banging ur assistant?????????? unnie ur hardcore

**Kim Yongsun**

NO

**Kim Yongsun**

im not banging my assistant!

**Kim Yongsun**

she agreed to fake date me, jeez hyejin

**Ahn Hyejin**

:-(

**Ahn Hyejin**

fake date??? why not just really date

**Kim Yongsun**

she barely knows me omg this was all really last minute

**Kim Yongsun**

plus im her boss? that’s just weird i dunno

**Kim Yongsun**

and real dating means actual feelings have to be involved and i have no time for feelings like i’ve gotta law firm to run hyejin i cant believe my dad actually agreed to this

**Ahn Hyejin**

oohh i see i see

**Ahn Hyejin**

and ur dad’s just lowkey weak for wheein lmfao shes like a puppy

**Ahn Hyejin**

anyway u guys better get ur stories all straight

**Ahn Hyejin**

(or gay lol see what i did there)

**Kim Yongsun**

LOL OKAY THAT WAS ACTUALLY GOOD

**Ahn Hyejin**

anyway get ur stories together bc i told wheein that u guys have been dating for four months now lmao

**Kim Yongsun**

WHY.

**Kim Yongsun**

WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS HARDER FOR ME?

**Ahn Hyejin**

WHEEIN STARTED YELLING AT ME FOR DETAILS BC SHE THINKS U PURPSOELY DIDNT TELL HER ABT UR GF N I PANICKED SO I MADE SHIT UP IM SORRY

**Ahn Hyejin**

purposely*

**Kim Yongsun**

a month and a half of cake.

**Ahn Hyejin**

okay TT^TT

 

-

 

_Day Two_

It’s a day after the fake-dating idea, and Byulyi is sitting at her cubicle, working. Someone to her left clears her throat, and the sudden sound amidst all the crinkling of paper and tapping of keyboards makes the paralegal jump a little.

“Byulyi-ssi.”

Byulyi looks up, quickly swiveling her chair around to face her boss. “Yes?”

“Have you…” Yongsun’s eyes trail to where Byulyi’s laptop sits, closed on her desk and underneath a swamp of forensic reports and company agreements. “Have you checked your email?”

“My e—” She stops midsentence, shuffling her things around and opening her laptop in favour of talking. It takes a while to turn on, it being an old model and all, and Yongsun seems to get tired of waiting after a good twenty-five seconds.

“I’ll be in my office,” she says, already turning around to walk away. “Come see me if you have any concerns.”

“Ah, um, yes. Of course, Yongsun-ssi,” Byulyi answers to the lawyer’s retreating back. “She’s kinda impatient,” she mutters under her breath, her tone good-natured and amused.

Her laptop finally loads up and she opens her email immediately. There are a few unopened messages from some clients, and then her gaze lands on an email sent from a _doremifasolar@yahoo.co.kr._ She clicks on it.

 

_Moon Byulyi,_

 

_This is my personal email. If you'd like, you may email me back with your own personal email, as well as with your personal phone number. It'd be easier to contact you about our agreement through non-work-related media._

 

_Kim Yongsun_

 

'Our agreement’. Byulyi holds back a snort. She sounds so goddamn professional—is she really trying to play up her boss-role still? The paralegal shakes her head in amusement before signing into her personal email and following Yongsun’s instructions.

 

_Moon Byulyi,_

 

_Thanks for responding so quick. Your laptop was so slow that I was worried I wouldn't be able to send you this today ^_^’_

_Anyway, I attached a PDF file of all the rules I've made for this fake-dating thing and there's also my own profile in there too. Memorise it, because my friends are ruthless and will probably quiz you on me the second you meet them (sorry in advance!)._

 

_Kim Yongsun_

 

At that, Byulyi pauses.

Rules. Right, yes, of course there are rules. Of _course_ there are rules. There can't _not_ be rules, not when you're fake-dating your own boss. There are boundaries, there are lines you can't cross, there are things that you just don't do, there are things that, Byulyi realizes, as she skims through Yongsun’s PDF file, she can't _think_.

 

Fake-Dating Rules

  * We remain strictly professional at work
  * Drop formalities with me when we’re out of the office
  * We're staying in a hotel together for a week and are probably sharing a bed, so I thought I'd just say this: no getting freaky under the sheets



 

Byulyi immediately closes the PDF file, feeling equal parts flustered and amused. Freaky under the sheets? She wasn't even thinking of that, wasn't thinking of anything _near_ that and—

Okay, well, _now_ she is. And it's all Yongsun’s fault. Yongsun and her stupid dumb smile and her stupid teeth and her stupid eyes and stupid hair and stupid legs (her legs were _perfect._ Stupidly perfect) and all of her other body parts that were equally as stupid.

The paralegal takes a breath. Steadies herself.

_This is your boss, Byulyi. Calm your thirst._

 

  * Don't worry about anything money-related. Remember, me paying for everything is what I'm doing in exchange for you fake-dating me for a week
  * Don't fall in love with me. *cue kdrama music* Haha okay seriously though, it'd be weird and awkward and you're a really good paralegal here so I don't want to have to ignore you after this



 

Alright. Sounds easy enough, Byulyi thinks. Abnormally easy. All she has to really do is sit back and relax, let Yongsun do everything.

It'll be easy. Super easy. Abnormally easy. Nothing can go wrong.

...And then Byulyi scrolls down to Yongsun’s profile about herself and realizes that it's six and a half pages long.

 _Memorise it_ , Yongsun had written in her email.

Fuck.

 

-

 

_Day Three_

**Kim Yongsun**

Starbucks downtown by the karaoke place? 7:00pm?

**Moon Byulyi**

sure, see you then ;)

**Moon Byulyi**

i meant to send a smiley face not a winky one haha

**Kim Yongsun**

sokay. we should text each other cute stuff anyway, just in case wheein steals my phone and sees our messages by accident or something

**Moon Byulyi**

okay babe, see u at 7 :* <3

 

-

 

Yongsun wasn't expecting the quick transition, the smoothness in the way that Byulyi could go from employee to girlfriend at the flick of a switch. Honestly, she didn't expect Byulyi to play along so well in the first place.

She's not opposed to it though. Of course she's not, because that just means that Byulyi’s the perfect person to do this with. Someone reliable who can fake her way through this whole relationship without getting attached. It'll be easy, super easy, abnormally easy, and nothing can go wrong.

And then Yongsun sees Byulyi walk up to the Starbucks from the window by her seat. She's dressed casually (of course she's dressed casually, god, what did you expect?) and she looks good (of course she looks good, god, what did you expect?) and Yongsun suddenly wishes that she'd gotten a drink instead of the pastry that sits in front of her because then, at least, she could blame the clamminess of her palms on the condensation of the cup.

“Hi Yongsun-ssi,” Byulyi says, walking up to their table. She's wearing skinny jeans and a crop-top and Yongsun takes a quick bite of her croissant.

“Formalities.” She hopes that the food in her mouth masks the sudden churning in her stomach.

“Oh, yes. I mean yeah. Right. Sure. Yongsun, um, unnie. Yongsun-unnie?” She looks like she’s enjoying herself. “It feels so odd, talking casually. It’s easier through texting and stuff; in person it’s kind of...well, weird.”

“Is it?” Yongsun replies, but she doesn’t need to hear an answer to know that it is, indeed, _weird_ . She knew that things were gonna be weird the second Byulyi said her name without the _-ssi_ at the end, her voice uncertain but a little excited. She knew the second Byulyi walked in wearing a goddamn crop-top that showed the expanse of smooth skin across her stomach, her skinny jeans that are several steps closer to _I’m going out with a friend_ as opposed to _I’m meeting with my boss._ The second Byulyi had texted her with the word _babe_ and a heart emoji, the second she leaned her face in close back in the office at the lawfirm, the second she called herself her Prince Charming, Yongsun knew things were gonna be a little weird.

It's her instincts again, she thinks. The uneasiness swirling in her stomach, as if she knows that something’s going to go wrong.

She looks at Byulyi then, who's just sitting there. Just sitting, looking at her, pretty eyes and red lips and soft hair and she's looking at Yongsun like she's got nothing at all to hide.

“You're staring,” Yongsun says, a smile quirking at her lips. “Stare any longer and you might fall in love with me.”

Byulyi ducks her head to laugh a little. “I won't, don't worry. You're my boss, after all.”

Yongsun nods. “So. Did you read over my profile?”

Byulyi’s scoffs, subtly rolling her eyes. “Your profile was six and a half pages long, unnie.”

“I’m very thorough,” Yongsun responds. “You never know what my friends are gonna ask.” She picks up her bag then, placing it on the table so that she can fish out her wallet. “Do you want anything? I’ll buy.”

“What?” Byulyi’s stands up suddenly, surprised. “No, no don’t buy me anything, I’ve got it.”

Yongsun’s standing up too, wallet in hand. “I said I’d pay for everything while we do this fake dating thing.”

“We’re not even fake dating yet,” the younger argues, reaching across the table to gently wrap her fingers around Yongsun’s wrist. She tugs her towards her seat, barely even using any strength. It’s as if she were scared she’d hurt her, even though Yongsun’s totally prepared to wrench her arm out of her grasp and sprint to the cashier if she has to.

“Are we not on a date right now?” Yongsun asks, eyebrows raised.

“Oh, what?” Byulyi blinks. “Are we? Right now?”

Yongsun rolls her eyes and pulls away from Byulyi’s hand on her wrist. “I’ll pay.”

At that, Byulyi sighs, exasperated. Yongsun thinks she’s given up—which would make sense, seeing as Yongsun _is_ older, even if it’s only by a year, and she feels like it’s her duty to be the responsible big sister.

But the second Yongsun walks forward, having to pass Byulyi in order to make her way to the counter, the younger suddenly envelops her arms around Yongsun’s waist from behind. She picks her up a couple inches off the ground, turns her around and sets her down again, all while Yongsun blushes furiously because _what what what what?_

“Stay,” Byulyi orders, mouth right against Yongsun’s ear, hot breath spilling over the side of her face and Yongsun wonders why she decided to wear flats today.

“Um.” Yongsun awkwardly sits down, knees weak. “Fine, yeah. Okay.” When she sees Byulyi’s satisfied smirk, she adds in, “But just this once, got it? You caught me by surprise, that's all.”

“Yeah, sure,” Byulyi says with a laugh, before going over to the counter to order herself something.

 

-

 

“Okay,” Byulyi begins, hands flat against the table. Their half-filled iced coffees are left forgotten at the side, ice long melted and flavour diluted. The sun has moved over in the sky, settling atop a tall building to cast a warm glow across the pair’s features, soft and hazy. “Okay, so. Jung Wheein, twenty-four, is absolutely adorable but crazily hyperactive. A lot like a beagle. Is weird, but also lovable. She’s...a teacher?”

“What kind of teacher?”

Byulyi blanks for a second and then her eyes light up in realization. “Kindergarten!”

“Good. And Hyejin?”

“Ahn Hyejin, twenty-three, is turning twenty-four on our flight to Tokyo. A wedding planner, acts super sexy all the time but is actually a dork. Likes makeup a lot, been best friends with Wheein since they were in diapers. The three of you all went to the same high school but became friends in university because you were all part-time waitresses at the same diner.”

“Perfect.” Yongsun grins.

Byulyi lets out a breath of relief. "Jeez. Why do I even need to know so much about them? It's  _you_ I have to know everything about, right?"

"They're my best friends," the lawyers responds simply. Still best friends, even after not being able to properly talk and hang out for over a year. Yongsun knows that they'll be able to pick up their friendship right from where it'd left off though, isn't worried about seeing them again at all. "Of course I'd talk about them to you! Anyway, now me. What's my favourite food?”

“Easy,” Byulyi says. “All kinds of meat, ddeokboki, chocolate. You’re bad at cooking and you hate vegetables. You like eating ramen when it’s really late at night but then you always complain that your face looks bloated after, but you eat it anyway.”

“And?”

“And....and snacks. You like crunchy snacks and deep-fried stuff.”

Yongsun nods approvingly. “Favourite movie?”

“Titanic and Grave Encounters,” Byulyi answers immediately. “You like Titanic because of that one Celine Dion song and you like Grave Encounters because you like scary movies since they make you feel like you’re in them, but you get scared really easily.”

“What was I like in high school?”

“A social butterfly. You hated math, loved history.”

“Favourite colour?”

“All of them, the rainbow, you can’t pick.”

“How did I start at my job?”

“The firm we work at now is one of the branches of the bigger law firm that your dad owns, and he let you run this one right after you graduated from law school.”

“How’d we meet?”

“Four months ago, at this Starbucks. You spilled your drink on me and offered to pay me back and we ended up exchanging numbers and started dating and then you decided to hire me to work at your law firm because we work so well together.”

Yongsun leans back in her chair and claps. “Amazing. We’re gonna do great.”

Byulyi smiles wide. “Except you have to stop being so weird around me.”

The elder raises her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“Look.” Byulyi reaches forwards, fingers moving to rest on top of Yongsun’s hand. Yongsun twitches out of her grasp the second she feels the contact and then flushes in realization. “See?”

“Sorry,” Yongsun says. Inwardly, she curses herself. Why is she being so weird? She’s the one who made up this whole thing. “I’m just not used to skinship, I guess?”

“Well if we’re really going to pull this off, you’re gonna have to get used to it,” Byulyi points out.

Yongsun huffs. “I _know_ that, thank you very much. It’s easier said than done.”

The younger tilts her head to the side. “Not really? Here.” She rests her hand on the table again, flips it palm up and waits expectantly. Yongsun stares at her.

“What?”

“Put your hand in mine, idiot.”

“Who are you calling an idiot,” Yongsun mumbles, putting her hand into Byulyi’s carefully. Their hands are almost the same size, Byulyi’s a bit bigger, her fingers longer and nails shorter.

“You, you idiot,” she responds, as she flips their hands so that their elbows are resting on the table, hands in the air between their faces, fingers intertwined. Byulyi pulls on her hand, tilting it towards her, and then lets her lips brush against Yongsun’s fingers.

Yongsun squeaks.

“You’re acting weird again,” Byulyi says, and Yongsun can feel her smiling against the back of her fingers. “Stop acting so weird.”

“I—” Yongsun stops herself, glares half-heartedly. The swirling in her stomach is back and she thinks her palm is getting sweaty. She wants to pull away, but Byulyi’s looking at her as if this is some kind of competition and like hell will Yongsun back out of it. “Does this not feel...I dunno... _strange?_ ”

“No?” Byulyi responds, and Yongsun feels kind of stupid now. She brings her other hand up to push some hair away from the elder’s face, tucking the dark strands behind her ear. Yongsun’s face feels hot. “Why would it feel strange?”

“Because it’s so...sudden?”

“You’re the one who told me to do this.”

“I know, I’m just…” She shakes her head. “You’re right, sorry, I’m being weird.”

Byulyi grins at her. “Don’t fall in love with me,” she teases.

Yongsun laughs, pulling her hand away. _Am I really the only one getting all worked up about this?_ “God, of course not. You’re way too greasy for me.”

“What’s your ideal type, then?” Byulyi says, reaching for her hand again, all natural as if they’ve been dating for years. She doesn’t tangle their fingers together this time, instead settling for drawing shapes in Yongsun’s palm with the tip of her index finger. Circles, a star, a heart.

“Not you,” Yongsun shoots back and Byulyi laughs.

“I know that, idiot.” She traces another heart into Yongsun’s palm, slower this time. “Who, then? Tell me about the type of person that can manage to reel in the great Kim Yongsun.”

Yongsun’s kind of zoning out now, liking the tingling feeling that Byulyi’s finger leaves on the skin of her palm, liking the warmth of the sun outside, liking the sound of Byulyi’s voice as she speaks, tone low and casual and not so unfamiliar anymore. The consistent background noise of slurping straws and strangers chattering around is simply that, just background noise, something extremely secondary to the woman seated in front of her. The sun is highlighting the slope of her nose, front teeth slightly visible because her lips are just barely parted and even in Starbucks, where the smell of coffee and pastries should’ve drowned out all other scents, she can still catch a whiff of the citrus that comes off of her.

And her instincts are back, her heart arguing with her brain again, but both sides are incoherent and unintelligible and she can’t make sense of what she’s thinking. What _is_ she thinking of? Nothing, really, because she’s satisfied just sitting here, doing nothing, Byulyi’s finger drawing hearts on her palm and making something in the pit of her stomach swirl and twist and—

“—listening to me?”

Yongsun jumps. “What?”

“Are you listening to me?” Byulyi’s hand leaves hers (and Yongsun suddenly feels like something is missing, like she’s lost a puzzle-piece that was literally right under her fingers) and pokes her in the forehead. “You’re zoning out, dummy.”

“I like someone who doesn’t call me stupid every other sentence,” Yongsun replies and Byulyi laughs again.

“I never called you stupid,” she claims. “I’ve called you an idiot and a dummy, not stupid.”

“Is there a difference?”

“No, stupid.”

Yongsun playfully kicks her from under the table.

 

-

 

_Day Four_

**Kim Yongsun**

i got your pdf file with your profile in it

**Kim Yongsun**

it was only a page long and it took you two whole days to send it to me??

**Moon Byulyi**

i couldnt think of what to write that’s why it took so long omg sorry

**Moon Byulyi**

also its one page long bc im a normal human being who doesnt write an essay on why i love ramen so much

**Moon Byulyi**

unlike someone <_<

**Kim Yongsun**

listen

**Kim Yongsun**

that’s...vital information. you feel like you know me more now, right?

**Moon Byulyi**

ok true

**Moon Byulyi**

so did you memorise my profile yet?

**Kim Yongsun**

i wasn’t top of my law class for nothing B-)

 

 

 

_Incoming call from Moon Byulyi_

 

Yongsun almost has a heart attack, throwing her phone into the air. It lands at the foot of her bed, barely missing the empty bowl of popcorn that she’d put there earlier when the movie she was watching on her laptop had finished.

“That scared me, oh my god, um, uh—” She’s flustered, arms flailing and heart beating and her mind a jumbled mess.

She picks up her phone and it’s still ringing. She holds a finger up, ready to swipe to accept the call, but then hesitates. Her palms are getting sweaty, there’s that swirling in her stomach, her instincts are telling her that it’s a bad idea and _oh, god, am I being weird again?_ _Stop making things weird, Kim Yongsun, just answer the stupid phone._

 

_Missed call from Moon Byulyi_

 

Yongsun sighs, collapsing back into her bed. One side of her face is pressed against her pillow as she stares at the screen of her phone, feeling weird and stupid and unsure of what to do.

 

**Moon Byulyi**

why didnt u answer :-(

**Kim Yongsun**

i dropped my phone under my bed and couldn’t find it

**Moon Byulyi**

dummy

**Kim Yongsun**

shut up

**Moon Byulyi**

i’m kidding ily

**Moon Byulyi**

i can say that right? like it’s not weird if i do that since we’re “dating” ????

**Moon Byulyi**

and can i call u again? my eyes are kinda tired and it’d be easier to just talk

**Moon Byulyi**

i wanna quiz u on me lol

**Moon Byulyi**

did u fall asleep or something

**Kim Yongsun**

no im here sorry i got distracted

**Moon Byulyi**

by my charm? ;)

**Kim Yongsun**

ew, no. i just

**Kim Yongsun**

dropped my phone again and it wouldn’t turn on for a bit

**Moon Byulyi**

ur honestly the clumsiest person i know

 

Kim Yongsun didn’t, in fact, drop her phone. She just needed some kind of excuse because, after all, how can she simply decline Byulyi’s call without seeming odd?

It’s not that she _doesn’t_ want to talk to Byulyi on the phone. She’s fine with it, really. They’ve talked on the phone before. Granted, it was only once, when Byulyi called in sick and she’d called the company landline, not her cell phone, but still. It’s cool. It’s fine. It’s normal, it’s completely normal, and yet.

And yet the idea of talking to Byulyi on the phone doesn’t sit quite right with her. Not when it’s nearing midnight, when the only time they’d talked that day was at work and it was about a case and they were being totally professional.

And no, Yongsun isn’t bitter that Byulyi barely spared her a glance during their company meeting earlier that day. Isn’t peeved that Byulyi didn’t answer her text for a solid hour, isn’t at all annoyed at the fact that Byulyi can go from strict professionalism to a greasy girlfriend in two seconds flat and the idea of her transitioning into greasy fake-girlfriend over the phone after a long day seemed very not right to Yongsun.

They’re professional at work and kind of friends outside of it and if Yongsun gives into her strong, sudden need to hear Byulyi’s voice late at night just because it sounds nice, then things will get weird and it’ll be _her_ fault, which would be completely embarrassing.

But then Byulyi calls again and Yongsun answers the phone because she’s weak, goddamit, she admits it. It’s late, she’s tired, she hasn’t been able to really make friends because law school was busy and now running her own law firm was busy and she misses Wheein and Hyejin and Byulyi is here to text her and call her and hold her hand and trace hearts into her palm on fake dates.

So that’s all it is, really. Byulyi’s just...there. Because no one else really is. It’s not that deep.

“ _So she finally answers,_ ” Byulyi says, and her voice isn’t different on the phone. Usually your voice is higher, thinner, more nasally maybe, but Byulyi sounds that same, if not a little tired. “ _It’s not too late for you, is it? We were just texting so I figured it’d be okay to call._ ”

“Yeah.” Wait, what was the question? Yongsun tries to think, but hearing Byulyi’s voice after a long day, late at night, lying in bed, makes her want to close her eyes and _not_ think. Just for a bit. “I mean. Yeah. No. No, it’s not too late. It’s fine.”

“ _Ready for a speedquiz?_ ”

“What.”

“ _A quiz on me. That’s why I called, remember?_ ”

Right. Yes. The quiz on Byulyi, because Yongsun read her profile and memorised it earlier that day. Right.

“ _So, favourite food?_ ”

“Chicken,” Yongsun answers immediately. “Except you first answered ‘Yongsun’s lips’ and then said you were joking.”

“ _Maybe when we’ve kissed I can be serious about it._ ”

“Ugh, stop.” Yongsun has her duvet pulled over her head as if that’d shield her from any oncoming embarrassment. “Your favourite food is fried chicken, which is probably why you’re so goddamn greasy all the time.”

Byulyi laughs at that. “ _Okay. Favourite movie?”_

“You put ‘ _anything Yongsun-unnie wants to watch_ ’.” Yongsun sighs, but there’s a small smile on her face. “And then for your hobby you put _hanging out with Yongsun_ . Honestly, Byul.” The nickname slips out without her thinking it through and she freezes, waiting with bated breath for Byulyi’s response. They’ve only started talking informally with each other a couple days ago, she only stopped adding _-ssi_ to the end of her name yesterday, for god’s sake.

“ _I_ _t’s a valid answer,_ ” Byulyi says, either ignoring the nickname or taking it in stride.

“Are you always such a...what’s the word…”

“ _Such a fuckboy?_ ” Byulyi offers innocently, and Yongsun chokes.

“Language,” she jokes back.

“ _Hey, you’re the one who asked me to do this with you. You get me and all the grease and all the fuckboy-ness I’ve got to offer._ ”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I brought this torment onto myself,” Yongsun replies.

There’s a pause, the only sound on the line being their breathing for a few long seconds. Then Byulyi says, “ _Does it really annoy you that much? Because I can stop. It’s just for a week, anyway, if it makes you uncomfortable I’ll—”_

“What are you talking about? I was just joking.”

“ _Okay._ ” She doesn’t sound convinced.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Yongsun tells her. “Keep being your greasy self. It’s…” It’s what? She racks her brain. “It’s, um. Cute. Don’t worry. Wheein will totally believe us if you just...keep being you.”

Byulyi’s silent again for a little while. Yongsun tries to listen to the background noise on Byulyi’s end, thinks she can make out the faint sound of music playing over tinny speakers.

“ _I thought I wasn’t your type. Won’t Wheein not believe that you want to date me or something?_ ”

“I…” Yongsun hesitates, mulling over the thoughts in her head. “I mean, if we just…” She chews on her lip. “Okay, listen.”

“ _Listening._ ”

“Okay. So.” Yongsun feels her face getting hot and she doesn’t think it has to do with the duvet over her head. “You know that I’m really awkward with skinship and stuff, right? You told me I kept being weird when we were at Starbucks.”

“ _Right. Okay. And?_ ”

“And the thing is, I’ve always been super weird with skinship in relationships? I get really nervous and self-conscious and stuff so maybe if we're just, like, super lovey-dovey touchy then she'll fall for it.”

“ _Super lovey-dovey touchy,_ ” Byulyi repeats.

Yongsun’s a little mortified. “I mean...yeah.”

“ _I can do super lovey-dovey touchy.”_

“I'm sure you can.” _I don't know about me though._ “So yeah.”

“ _Do you wanna go out again?_ ”

“Huh?”

“ _To...practice. Being super lovey-dovey touchy._ ”

“Oh, yeah.” The thought of it makes Yongsun’s insides do flips.

“ _You can come over to my place after work tomorrow._ ”

The elder almost chokes on air. “What?”

“ _You can come over if you want? I don’t know if you wanna practice our skinship stuff in public._ ” Byulyi sounds so nonchalant, so indifferent to the idea of inviting her over to do ‘skinship stuff’ that Yongsun feels stupid for getting so flustered.

“Oh.” She swallows thickly. “Um, sure.”

“ _Wow, don’t sound too excited,_ ” Byulyi replies sarcastically. “ _Your eagerness is contagious, really._ ”

“You sound like the excited one,” Yongsun shoots back, grinning. “Inviting me over to your place and all.”

“ _Sorry for not wanting to make out in the middle of a Starbucks,"_  the younger says, and Yongsun thinks her heart just dropped down into her stomach.

“Who said we were gonna make out?”

“ _Well we have to kiss at some point._ _Girlfriends kiss each other, idiot._ ”

“I know that!” Yongsun exclaims. “Just...already?”

“ _What do you mean ‘already’? We’re supposed to be girlfriends of four months. If we were actually dating, I would probably have seen you naked by now—”_

“Please stop talking.” Yongsun’s face is on fire. “Oh my god. I get it, okay, we have to kiss.”

“ _Are you gonna write another list of rules?_ ” Byulyi jokes. “ _No kissing for more than five seconds? Hands must be at my sides at all times? No ass-grabbing?_ ”

“Oh my _god_ , shut up.” She’s grinning. “Also yeah, no ass-grabbing.”

“ _Bummer._ ”

Yongsun, despite herself, bursts out laughing.

“ _What’s so funny?_ ”

“ _Bum_ -mer. Get it? Because no—” She pauses to catch her breath, gasping out a laugh. “—because no ass-grabbing.”

“ _You’re such an idiot._ ” Yongsun can hear the amusement in Byulyi’s voice. “ _I wanna fake break up with you. Like, right now, at this instant._ ”

“Oh, please.” The lawyer is still giggling. “You fake love me too much for that, Byul.”

Maybe it’s because Yongsun is still coming down from the high of her (immature) laughter, but she misses the few seconds of silence on Byulyi’s end of the line.

“ _Yeah, I guess I fake love you too much._ ”

 

-

 

_Day Five_

It’s 5:30pm. Most of the people in the office are wrapping things up, putting laptops into their bags, papers into folders, empty coffee mugs filling up the break room sink. Goodbyes are being said, promises of drinks over the weekend between coworkers, and Yongsun’s foot is _tap tap tapping_ under her desk, heels clacking against the hardwood at a steady pace.

Because it’s 5:30pm. Most of the people are wrapping things up, putting things away, turning off their desk lamps and filling the break room sink with empty mugs and it’s almost time for Yongsun to go to Byulyi’s apartment and practice.

Practice their _skinship_ , Jesus Christ.

There’s a knock on the door and Yongsun jumps.

“Hi,” Byulyi says. She’s leaning against the doorframe, briefcase in hand, blazer folded in one arm. “Um. You ready? Everyone else already left.”

“Right, yes, um. Give me a second.” Yongsun shuffles some papers around her desk uselessly, straightens an already straight pile of reports. Moves a pencil from one jar to another, opens a drawer for no reason and closes it again. “Yup. Okay. I’m ready.” _I’m not ready._

She reaches for her phone and realizes, with a start, that there are a myriad of notifications on the screen.

“One second,” she tells Byulyi again, unlocking her phone.

 

_Missed call from Ahn Hyejin (4)_

_Message from Ahn Hyejin (8)_

 

Yongsun has a bad feeling about this and she doesn’t need her damn intuition to tell her that.

 

**Ahn Hyejin**

CAN U ANSWER UR FUCKIN PHONE? ITS ON SILENT RN ISNT IT

**Ahn Hyejin**

UGHGUHG UNNIE

**Ahn Hyejin**

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY

**Ahn Hyejin**

CODE RED PLS ANSWER HOLY SHIT

**Ahn Hyejin**

CODE FUCKIN CHERRIES ANSWER UR PHONE

**Ahn Hyejin**

ME AND WHEEIN ARE ON OUR WAY TO UR WORK RN GO MAKE OUT WITH YOUR GF

**Ahn Hyejin**

I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA SURPRISE YOU BY PICKING U UP FROM UR PLACE FOR DINNER BUT WHEEIN PULLED THIS SHIT ON ME AGAIN

**Ahn Hyejin**

UR GF IS UR ASSISTANT RIGHT? BE GIRLFRIENDY GO GO GO U’VE GOT LIKE TWO MINS

 

“Oh my god,” Yongsun says, eyes going from her phone screen to Byulyi and back again. The last text came in three minutes ago, not two, meaning that they’re going to come in at any second now. “Oh my god.”

“What?”

“My friends are coming over right now.”

“What?” Byulyi repeats. “Like, to your apartment?”

“No, _here_.”

“Right now?”

“ _Right now._ ” She stares at the paralegal, panicked. “What should we do?”

They can hear the front door open, can hear someone shout, “ _Wheein, stop running!_ ” and Byulyi rushes to shut Yongsun’s office door behind her.

“Get on the desk,” she orders.

Yongsun stares at her. “What?”

Byulyi’s walking towards her with a purpose. “Kim Yongsun, just _get on the damn desk—_ ”

The sound of footsteps thumping down the hallway make Yongsun spring into action, sitting on top of her desk without any further inquiry. She swings around so she faces Byulyi, legs dangling off the edge, and Byulyi’s moving too. Her movements are deft, quick, and before Yongsun’s brain can even process anything _,_ Byulyi has a hand around her waist and the other on the top of her thigh and she’s angling her head to nuzzle into the crook of Yongsun’s neck and the elder yelps, surprised, bringing her own hands up to clutch at Byulyi’s shirt in shock and she can feel the younger’s hot breath against her skin, can feel the faintest touch of her lips on her collarbone, can smell the scent of her shampoo and—

“ _Unnie!_ ” a woman yells, Yongsun’s office door bursting open with a bang. A shout of “Oh my _god_ ,” from someone else quickly follows, along with a dramatic gasp from the first person.

At that, Byulyi breaks apart from Yongsun in a rush, as if they were caught doing something they really shouldn’t have been doing. She straightens her blouse, fabric wrinkled because Yongsun had grabbed at it, and clears her throat.

“I thought you locked the door,” she says, body positioned specifically so that her words can be directed at Yongsun, but Wheein and Hyejin can still see the disappointment in her face. Strategic, Yongsun thinks. “You always forget to lock the door, stupid.”

The lawyer jumps off the desk and teasingly hits Byulyi on the arm. She doesn’t think she can talk, not when she can still feel the warmth of Byulyi’s breath on her neck, so she settles for body-language instead. She swallows thickly, mind still reeling, and looks over at her friends.

“W-what are you guys even doing here?” Yongsun asks, trying to put as much surprise into her voice as possible. She sounds breathless instead, words coming out in a jumbled rush.

“Interrupting this hot and heavy office romance, obviously,” Wheein replies. She’s smiling wide, mouth open, dimples showing. She hasn’t changed a bit since Yongsun’s last seen her, save for her now black hair instead of brown. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend? I can’t believe you told _Hyejin_ first and not me.”

“I—I, um, uh…” She looks at Byulyi, helpless. This is why they have to practice; Yongsun’s absolute _shit_ at lying on the spot.

“Oh god, don’t make _me_ tell your friends why,” Byulyi says, groaning, looking like she’s embarrassed. She’s actually good at acting, Yongsun thinks and she’s grateful for it. “We were...kind of maybe friends with benefits for the first month after we met,” she lies, expression sheepish. “And then it was really confusing for another whole month, and _now_ we’re, well—”

“Official,” Yongsun pipes in. “Officially girlfriends.” Her eyes flit towards Byulyi. “Took a while.”

“It took a while because Yongsun’s such an idiot,” Byulyi interjects. She gets closer to her boss, snaking an arm around her waist with the naturality of a long-term girlfriend. Yongsun’s secretly glad that she didn’t reach for her hand; her palms feel all clammy and gross and that would be very not fun. “Couldn’t realize that I fell totally head-over-heels for her after the second week of knowing her.”

Wheein is suspiciously silent for a bit and Yongsun is scared that she’ll catch onto the lie, that she’ll see right through them and now Hyejin’s going to get murdered and Yongsun’s not going to get a month and a half supply of free cake and—

“ _Aww!_ ” Wheein gushes, hitting Hyejin on the arm a couple of times in her excitement. “Did you hear that? That is _so_ cute!” She turns to Byulyi and adds, “Yongsun-unnie’s always been really stupid, I’m sorry you had to suffer through her obliviousness.”

“Hey!” Yongsun exclaims.

“Oh shush, babe, you know it’s true,” Byulyi says with a smile. She slides her arm out from where it was placed on Yongsun’s waist, which is a good move seeing as Yongsun was sure she was going to short-circuit with the combination of hand-on-waist and the word _babe_ leaving Byulyi’s mouth. “I’m Moon Byulyi, it’s nice to finally meet you guys.” She starts to bow, but Wheein envelops her into a big hug before she can even lower her head.

“What’re you being so formal for?” Wheein asks, shaking Byulyi around in her arms and Yongsun thinks that Wheein might get in more skinship with Byulyi than she will.

Byulyi’s surprised at the sudden affection and starts to laugh, delight evident on her features, when Hyejin yells “Group hug!” and throws herself onto them. Wheein is giggling, spinning the three girls around and Yongsun rolls her eyes at them.

“Wheeinie, I think we should let go of Byulyi-unnie,” Hyejin says, tugging the black-haired girl away. “Yongsun-unnie looks jealous.”

Yongsun splutters, face going red. “I’m—I’m not—” She looks to Byulyi who grins back.

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Byulyi says. “But you’re cute all the time, so I guess that doesn’t mean much, right?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, okay, everyone pause.” Hyejin is waving her arms out dramatically; she’s always had a flair for gathering everyone’s attention. “You never told me Byulyi-unnie was a total _cheeseball_.”

“She hates it,” Byulyi tells her.

“It looks like she secretly loves it,” Hyejin mentions. “Look at how pink her face is!”

Yongsun is spluttering again. “I don’t—it’s—I’m not blushing,” she finally says and the girls laugh, probably enjoying how flustered she is. “Oh, shut up you guys! Why are you even here? I thought you guys were coming to Seoul on Friday.”

“We thought we’d surprise you!” Wheein says, grabbing both of Yongsun’s hands and swinging them around like they were grade-school children. “Hyejinie said we should go and surprise you at your apartment but I was like _no!_ I wanna see your girlfriend! So we came here instead.” She lets go of Yongsun’s hands to shoot finger guns at Byulyi and the paralegal laughs, eyes crinkling. “And I don’t regret it one bit. She’s hot, unnie. I can’t believe you kept her from us.”

“I like Wheein,” Byulyi comments casually. She grins at Yongsun. “She calls me hot. Why don’t you call me hot, babe?”

“I guess I can’t see your attractiveness under all that grease,” Yongsun responds. Hyejin and Wheein both go “OOOOOHHHH BURN!!!” in the background, and Yongsun realizes how much she misses them.

This trip will be fun, she thinks.

 

-

 

Hyejin and Wheein’s original plan was to pick Yongsun up from her apartment for a surprise best friend reunion dinner.

Yongsun’s original plan was to go to Byulyi’s apartment and practice all of their girlfriend skinship that they have to get used to.

Now their plans are mushed together into the four of them piling into Yongsun’s car (because everyone else took the subway) and heading out for dinner with some very much unrehearsed and slightly awkward skinship between her and her fake girlfriend.

Byulyi insisted on driving for some reason (“I guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship,” Wheein teased, to which Byulyi responded with, “Preferably no one wears pants in this relationship. _”_ Hyejin and Yongsun both screamed, externally and internally, respectively) and so Yongsun is in the seat beside her, thumbs twiddling nervously in her lap as Wheein and Hyejin sing loudly along to the song on the radio from the backseat.

Byulyi spares her a side glance. She raises her eyebrows and Yongsun somehow knows exactly what she’s thinking.

_This is really happening, like, right now. The first test._

“ _Byulyi-unnie,_ ” Hyejin sings, arms flailing in some kind of weird luau, “ _has to stop staring at Yongsun-unnie, stop making lovey-eyes and watch the roaaadddd~_ ”

Byulyi laughs. “My girlfriend’s just too beautiful to keep my eyes off of.”

There’s a collective groan inside the car.

“Hey, don’t you hate it when people act all greasy like that?” Wheein comments, wonder in her tone. Yongsun remembers going over this exact problem with Byulyi only yesterday.

“Yongsun laughs super hard at really terrible puns,” Byulyi says, and Yongsun knows that she’s referring to their phone call last night. “So our flaws cancel each other out.”

“It’s not a flaw if it’s endearing, Byul,” Yongsun responds.

“You laughed at the word _bummer_ because the word _bum_ is in it,” the paralegal points out. She’s smart, Yongsun thinks. Bringing up something that happened before makes their relationship seem established, more realistic. “You’re absolutely ridiculous. I should’ve broken up with you the second you made that pun.”

“You love me too much to do that,” Yongsun says, and it’s easy, she realizes, all this fake-dating stuff.  Especially since they’re just repeating a conversation.

“Yeah,” Byulyi agrees. Yongsun’s looking at her, waiting for the exact words she knows she’ll say. _Yeah, I guess I love you too much_ , she’s supposed to respond with. Then they’ll laugh and Wheein will be none the wiser.

But Byulyi just...doesn’t. She doesn’t say what she’s supposed to say. Her mouth doesn’t even open again, save for her licking at her chapped lips, and Yongsun doesn’t know if she’s overthinking things or if something’s wrong.

Byulyi’s eyes don’t leave the road, doesn’t give Yongsun another glance. Instead, she wordlessly lays her hand down on the middle console of the car. Palm up, fingers spread, and this time Yongsun’s not that much of an idiot. She covers Byulyi’s hand with her own, fingers intertwining. Easy, natural, realistic.

_Fake._

Hyejin and Wheein are still singing in the back seat and Yongsun decides to join them, taking out her phone to use as a pretend microphone. She’s belting out the lyrics to an English song, Love On Top by Beyoncé. Her pronunciation is off, but her she’s hitting all of the notes, even the high ones, and Byulyi’s eyes are wide and an amazed smile never leaves her face for the rest of the car ride.

They reach the restaurant. It’s small, a favourite of Hyejin, Wheein and Yongsun from their university days, and they all squeeze in close at a tiny corner booth.

“Jajangmyeon!” Wheein shouts, throwing her arms up into the air when the waiter walks up. He’s the son of the owner, in the same age range as the girls, and knows them well enough for it be acceptable to just yell at their orders.

“Alcohol!” Hyejin exclaims.

“Chicken!” Yongsun yells in turn. It’s right after that, as Wheein and Hyejin start listing off about a million side dishes (in unison, nonetheless), does Byulyi lean in close to Yongsun’s side to whisper into her ear.

“You didn’t tell me you could sing,” she says, voice barely audible over Hyejin and Wheein who’ve both started chanting something about radishes.

Yongsun makes the mistake of turning her head towards her, underestimating how close Byulyi’s face really was to her. When their faces end up mere centimetres apart, she squeaks loudly and whips her head away, Byulyi getting a faceful of her hair.

Hyejin and Wheein both turn to them. Hyejin, taking in the sudden distance between Byulyi and Yongsun, starts a rap about kimchi that Wheein eagerly joins into, saving Yongsun from having to explain anything.

Yongsun and Byulyi stare at each other. A silent conversation goes back and forth between them.

Byulyi raises her eyebrows: _What was that?_

Yongsun subtly shrugs her shoulders: _I panicked._

Byulyi rolls her eyes: _Obviously, you idiot. Don’t be so weird._

Yongsun glares: _Shut up._

“Anyway,” Yongsun says, voice quiet so Hyejin and Wheein don’t hear. “I put singing as a hobby in my profile, remember?”

“When people say they like singing, they’re either terrible or decent,” Byulyi counters. “You’re freaking _amazing_.”

“Oh.” Yongsun’s flattered. An honest compliment, meant only for her ears and not for show. Her face feels a little hot. “Um. Thank you.”

“Honestly, you’re amazing,” Byulyi repeats. “Those high notes? Just. Damn. I could listen to you all day. You should be on the radio.”

Yongsun flushes. “Oh, shut up. I’m not _that_ good.”

“You are!”

The lawyer can’t help the genuine smile that creeps onto her face. Hesitantly, she says, “Maybe I’ll sing properly for you one day.”

“ _Properly?_ ” she repeats, incredulous. “What the hell was that in the car then? A warmup?”

Yongsun shrugs, grinning.

They laugh, and the rest of the evening goes by smoothly.

 

-

 

_Day Six_

Their skinship practice was postponed to the day after the dinner with Hyejin and Wheein. They’re in the same position as yesterday, Byulyi leaning against Yongsun’s office door and asking if she’s ready, Yongsun doing random things to appear busy for some reason before saying she’s ready to go.

Byulyi’s driving again, hand laying open on the middle console of the car.

“Good job yesterday,” she says, glancing over at Yongsun. “You actually held my hand without me having to tell you to.”

“Good job to you too,” Yongsun says, laying her palm over Byulyi’s and tangling their fingers together. Their official skinship practice starts now. “You’re a natural.”

“A natural faker, huh.”

“You know what I mean,” Yongsun replies, laughing, and Byulyi grins back at her. “You’re a natural girlfriend.”

“A natural fake girlfriend. My life’s goal.”

“Can you just let me compliment you?”

“Your compliments are, like, sub-par.”  Byulyi sees Yongsun’s offended expression through her peripheral vision and she rolls her eyes. “C’mon, try again. Give me a better compliment. Make it sound heartfelt, like you’re my real girlfriend.”

“Okay.” Yongsun thinks. “You’re...pretty.”

“Wow. You hesitated just now, didn’t you?”

“ _You’repretty_.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Okay, fine.” Yongsun chews on her lip. “You’re greasy.”

“You hate that about me,” Byulyi says.

“Correction!” Yongsun holds up a finger with her other hand, quite literally making a point. “I _pretend_ to hate it. I think it’s funny. Cute, even.”

“Is that my fake girlfriend talking or is it the real Yongsun?” Byulyi asks, curiously.

Yongsun opens her mouth to respond but then realizes that she doesn’t have an answer. After a moment of thought, she settles for: “Your fake girlfriend. We’re being fake girlfriends right now, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we are,” Byulyi says. “I was just checking.” She squeezes their clasped hands for a moment. “Any other compliments for me?”

“Um...your eyes are all sparkly and stuff?” Yongsun replies. “I like your hands, too. Your fingers are long and dainty-looking.” All of a sudden, flattery is spilling out of her, the words rolling over her tongue, eager and natural. “Your smile is nice. You smell good all the time, like oranges. And you’re funny.” She leans back in her seat, looking out the window and watching the road signs pass by. “You’re a hard worker. You’re always on time and you’re never clumsy. You always clean up my messes without me asking you to. Oh, and you’re really kind. You have a really great personality—”

“Wow, okay, I said _a compliment,_ not a list,” Byulyi interjects with a giggle. “My fake-girlfriend is the best.”

Yongsun beams at her. “Of course,” she agrees, flicking her hair dramatically.

About fifteen minutes later and they’re at Byulyi’s apartment. She’s on the seventh floor and the elevator is out of order and Yongsun’s forced to walk up several flights of stairs in four-inch heels and she’s _pissed._

“It’s always out of order,” Byulyi tells her when they’re on the second floor. Yongsun’s whining, complaining about the building's maintenance and something about capitalism that Byulyi’s pretty sure doesn’t make any actual sense. “Take off your heels, it’s easier.” She kicks her heels off then to make a point. “The floor shouldn’t be that dirty. You can wash your feet at my place if you want, anyway.”

Yongsun follows her lead. She puts a hand on Byulyi’s shoulder to steady herself as she toes off her shoes and before she can say anything, Byulyi’s picking them up and carrying them for her.

“Are you this caring to all of your real girlfriends?” Yongsun asks. Carefully, hesitantly, ready to retreat at any sign of protest, she links arms with the younger. Her fingers curl around Byulyi’s bicep and Byulyi smiles without looking at her.

“Yup,” she replies simply. “Jealous?”

“Kind of,” Yongsun admits, and Byulyi looks at her quickly, surprised.

“Really?”

“I mean.” Yongsun shrugs. Byulyi’s still staring at her and she has a sudden interest in the walls of the apartment complex. “You’d be, um, a good girlfriend? Based off of, like, this whole experience I guess.”

Byulyi grins at her. She shakes her head a little, bangs falling into her eyes. “Tell that to my ex-girlfriends,” she jokes. “But thanks, Yongsun.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Don’t fall in love with me.”

They both laugh.

 

-

 

“Okay, let’s start elementary-school level,” Byulyi suggests. They’re standing in her kitchen, Yongsun wanting a glass of water right after entering her apartment. “Hold my hand.”

“I’ve held your hand before,” she says.

Byulyi rolls her eyes and waves her hand around impatiently. “Just hold it, you idiot.”

Yongsun slaps her hand into Byulyi’s with a loud _smack._ “Don’t call me an id—”

She gets cut off then, breath catching in her throat as Byulyi tugs her forward without warning. Yongsun stumbles, feet sliding across the tiled floor of the kitchen and suddenly she finds herself leaning into Byulyi’s chest, their bodies pressed together and she doesn’t know if her core temperature suddenly spiked or if Byulyi’s just that warm.

The younger woman’s arms have snaked around her waist, one hand sliding up to cup the nape of her neck and the other settling on the small of her back. Her mouth is by Yongsun’s ear again, all breathy and hot and Yongsun thinks that maybe Byulyi’s got a thing for ears.

But then Byulyi speaks, tone low and smooth and _hot,_ and this time Yongsun isn’t referring to the temperature.

“Good?” Byulyi asks. “You feel tense, kind of.”

“I thought this was elementary,” Yongsun mumbles. Her mouth is at Byulyi’s neck and the proximity is forcing her lips to stay in contact with the other’s skin every time she talks.

“You’ve graduated. You’re in middle school now,” Byulyi tells her, and Yongsun can feel her larynx vibrate through her neck, has the stupid thought of being able to literally kiss her voice as if it’s a tangible thing. She hopes Byulyi doesn’t notice her shift so that her lips are pressed up against the right spot, hopes she doesn’t notice her accelerated heartbeat because yeah, okay, they’re fake-girlfriends, but _anyone_ would be flustered in this position, right?

“I don’t remember doing this in middle school,” Yongsun responds.

Byulyi looks down at her, amused. “Really?”

“The guys at my school were gross.”

“And the girls?”

“Young Yongsun didn’t know girls were an option yet,” she reveals, and Byulyi’s hums in understanding. “Now I know the best of both worlds.”

“That’s the spirit,” Byulyi says, and Yongsun doesn’t need to see her face to know she’s grinning. “So you’re bi?”

“Yeah.” Yongsun’s never actually come out to anyone before, never felt the need to put a label on what she feels. If anything, though, bisexual probably suits her best. “How about you?”

“100% pure gay.”

“I knew it,” Yongsun whispers.

“Am I that obvious?”

“My gay senses went off the charts when you came in for your job interview.” Yongsun angles her head so she can look up at Byulyi now, sees that the younger is staring down at her too. “I bet your phone wallpaper is a picture of a girl group or something.”

“How’d you know?”

“Probably SNSD. Red Velvet. EXID. I’m thinking SNSD though.”

“All wrong.”

“Really?” She sounds sincerely shocked.

“It’s Krystal from f(x),” Byulyi admits.

“Ahh.” Yongsun buries her head in the younger’s neck again. “So that’s your type?”

“You sound jealous.”

“I’m not.”

“Okay.” She doesn’t sound convinced.

“I’m not!” Yongsun exclaims, pulling away from Byulyi just enough to smack her teasingly on the shoulder.

“I said _okay_ .” Byulyi’s grins, and Yongsun’s about to nuzzle back into her neck (not for any specific reason other than it’s _comfortable_ ), but before she can, Byulyi leans forward and their foreheads touch.

Yongsun thinks this is the closest their faces have ever been to each other. It reminds her of the day she asked Byulyi to be her fake-girlfriend, when she was sitting on the desk and Byulyi had caged her in and leaned forwards, confidence in her eyes and the ghost of a smile on her lips. It makes her think of yesterday’s dinner, with Hyejin and Wheein, when Byulyi whispered in her ear and Yongsun turned to look at her and they almost kissed, faces so close, but it was sudden and awkward and unplanned and they both broke away before anything could happen.

But now they’re here, in Byulyi’s kitchen, and the both of them know exactly what’s about to go down. The younger’s arms are circled around the lawyer’s waist, their bodies pressed together, their foreheads touching, and Yongsun doesn’t really know what to do, can’t really think, can’t think _at all_ , not when Byulyi’s staring at her and their breaths are mingling, every one of Byulyi’s exhales turning into Yongsun’s inhales and it’s weird, it’s weird, it’s totally weird if you stop and think about it, it’s weird to be sharing a breath with someone else, especially if they’re your assistant and fake-girlfriend.

But the thing is is that Yongsun can’t think, can’t think _at all_ , and everything seems very _not_ weird but also totally _not_ okay at the same time.

“Ready for high school level?” Byulyi half-jokes, and her voice is soft, as if she’s afraid she’d scare the elder away if she were to speak too loud. Yongsun can barely hear her over the rushing of blood in her veins, her heartbeat loud in her eardrums as if it travelled up her body to mess with her brain and she can’t tell if her pulse has doubled in tempo or if she can feel Byulyi’s somehow, joining with hers, and maybe, just maybe, they’re beating together, as one, _together_ , the two of them, and it’s all very real and intimate and real and romantic and real and real and _real real real_.

_They’re fake._

Yongsun’s hands, which have been awkwardly perched on Byulyi’s hips the whole time, rise up to cup either side of Byulyi’s face. Her fingers are shaking a little, nerves high-strung, but when Byulyi smiles at the contact she feels a comforting warmth wash over her.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

 

-

 

“So what’s university-level skinship?” Yongsun asks.

Byulyi looks at her, a smirk playing on her lips. “I thought there was a rule against that in the PDF you sent me.”

Yongsun stares at her, confused.

“No getting freaky under the sheets, remember?”

“Oh my god.”

 

-

 

_Day Seven_

**Moon Byulyi**

what am i supposed to pack

**Kim Yongsun**

clothes?

**Moon Byulyi**

wow i would never have thought of that

**Moon Byulyi**

thank god i asked u thanks for all of ur help

**Kim Yongsun**

don’t pack all of your goddamn sass.

**Moon Byulyi**

it took u two whole minutes to think of that

**Kim Yongsun**

oh shut up, it was still a good comeback

**Moon Byulyi**

ur so cute unnie

**Moon Byulyi**

how many swimsuits should i bring

**Kim Yongsun**

why are you packing the night before our flight?

**Kim Yongsun**

and i dunno

**Moon Byulyi**

how many did u pack?

**Kim Yongsun**

dunno

**Moon Byulyi**

ur packing rn too aren’t u

**Moon Byulyi**

ok u cant just ignore me after i #exposed u

**Kim Yongsun**

you’re such a teenager

**Kim Yongsun**

go and finish packing, byul

**Moon Byulyi**

okaaaaaaaaay

**Moon Byulyi**

ur coming to pick me up @ 8AM right?

**Kim Yongsun**

yup!

**Moon Byulyi**

make it 7

**Kim Yongsun**

why?

**Moon Byulyi**

we should have breakfast together

**Moon Byulyi**

finalize some of this fake dating jazz, make sure we’re all ready

**Kim Yongsun**

okay, i’ll see you at 7 then

**Author's Note:**

> ch 1 huzzah 
> 
> tumblr sideblog for mamamoo is pansexual-hwasa and my main blog (a bts one) is vkrscnlv so come scream at me there (pls) if u want!!! 
> 
> ch 2 will....come...at some point. *shoots finger guns*


End file.
